t- better than expected- more flavorful and full than the smell implied. Nice spice profile- like eating a ginger snap in mulled wine...tasty tasty!

m- thinner and less carbonated than I might have prefered, but quite good over-all.

d- good- could have one or two of these in a night before switching to something else. i would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the style. It is very similar to founders abominable snowman in terms of flavor profile, but imo not quite as good. This brewery is new to me and so far Ive been very impressed.

dark copper-y brown colored pour with a creamy light tan head. the foam seems pretty determined to stick around and also leaves a bunch of drippy lacing behind.

very sweet smelling with brown sugar, a touch of pale molasses, spicy cardamon like earthiness, orange and other sweet fruits.

the palate is very brown sugar sweet... normally a bad thing but in this case spiciness and alcohol clean it up quite well enough. pumpkin pie spice numbs the tongue after flavors of molasses, malt and raisins pass by. the finish strikes me as soapy since ginger too often doesn't translate well.

medium body is kept from becoming sticky with help from spice overload and alcohol's presence.

22 oz bottle poured into a Corsendonk Christmas Ale tulip. Mild light tan head that dissipates quickly to a thin film. A few specs cling to the glass with each sip then quickly disappear. Color is a solid dark ruby red with garnet highlights.

Smell is strongly spiced. Ginger and cloves are dominant with a mild honey sweetness in the background. Taste is a sharp ginger snap. The honey creates a sticky sweetness that almost, but not quite, balances the spice.

Mouthfeel is a full bodied with a mild carbonation. Pretty filling. The spices are so over the top, it would be interesting to age this one to see what happens.

Pours a dark sappy brown, with a very thin, nondescript head. Quickly dissipates. Not much at all on the nose that I can smell, a little bready, a little graham crackery, not much in the way of spices.

Tastes of an off-dry earthiness that spikes up a bit of sweetness in the middle. Spices are pretty subdued in the character. Overwhelming characteristic is a barkiness to it. Yeasy bite kicks up near the end, a little bitter to swallow, but it doesn't seem like from hops. Definitely a full body, but the taste seems rather disjointed. I really am at a loss as for what to make of it. It doesn't fit the standard winter warmer profile. Taste is decent, but it's a hard drink. Mouthfeel is strange, it's not cloying or anything, and for a beer like this, it seems kind of thin despite the kick it has. A definite winter sipper, and kind of an enigma.

This is a really nice brew to drink. It is a dark and clear fluid. The smell is really interesting. You can really smell the spices. Not overpowering, just a distict and pleseant aroma. The smell is a nice compliment to the smooth taste. Its not very malty and no hops at all. It allows the spices to really come forward. A really nice feel in the mouth. Nice and thick with low carbonation. Full finish with a slight bight at the end as you savor the flavor. A real delight to drink.

This poured an opaque mahogany with a bit of tan head. It smelled complex like chocolate covered cherries and watermelon and earthy coriander, with clove and vanilla and oak. It tasted like cherry cough syrup and bittersweet chocolate, with some black licorice and clove and Grand Mariner. It was slightly thick with no carbonation, and had a lasting bittersweet aftertaste. Overall this is what I would consider a fascinating experimental brew. It had very unique flavor that was fairly enjoyable. It was clean and hid the alcohol pretty well, and had good body too. This isn't a beer I would drink often, but it was interesting to try as an interpretation of a winter warmer.

Had this on tap at the Brick Store Pub. Absolutely great on tap- much better than in the bottle in my opinion. Poured cola colored with a reddish tinge and a nice tightly beaded, creamy head. Smells and tastes a bit like eggnog. Sweet, rich, creamy, boozy, and spiced. In the nose there are notes of ginger, chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, cream, as well as brandy and rich malt. Tastes similar, very creamy and quite delicious with an eggy richness a nice alcohol hit, and loads of ginger in the finish. A bit sweet, but drinkable enough especially as there is a bit of bitterness in the mix and its very smooth. A pleasant surprise.

I am shocked at why people are giving this beer a score other lower than B+. This is a super beer in line with the best of belgian christmas ales.
presentation - 22oz bomber. Poured in to a 12oz snifter. Pours dark brown with a thin foam covering.
smell- caramel, sugar, raisins, smells much like a belgian St. Bernadus
taste- well crafted malts, hops, with caramel, suger, raisins, very consistent from first taste to aftertaste.
mouthfeel - nice gravity for a heavier beer
drinkablility - I would have this quite often. Too bad I cant find it in 12oz bottles!

22 ounce bomber, purchased at De Cicco's Market in Ardsley, NY. Dark mahogany amber, dark tan head and quite respectable lace left on the glass. Just a hint of winter spice and cola in the nostrils. Full flavor "winter ale", that tastes more like a Belgian strong dark ale. Cola, dark ripe fruit, winter spicing all going on. Hearty and flavorful, with a long robust, rum infused finish. Very enjoyable offering.

The appearance and the aroma of this beer is a bit deceiving. It pours a very dark brown color with a thick sandy brown head. The aroma consists of caramel, brown sugar and roasted malt notes. All of this is very pleasing and leaves one with high expectations. However, the taste is extremely sweet and a little twangy. There is a lot of chocolate and caramel with a lingering roasted malt aftertaste. It is the sweetness that is dissagreable. The high alcohol content lends itself to sweetness but there is nothing to balance this out. Moreover, the mouthfeel consists of an over-carbonated consistency, almost like mineral water. To say the least, I was very dissapointed with this offering from Left Hand Brewing Co.

Poured a dark brown with moderate head that dies and leaves little lace down the glass. An alright sweet malt smell with cinnamon along with spices to give it that winter warmer pickup. Smooth and tasty, an almost creamy medium-body with the malts coming through and some prickly hops but the warming from the alcohol on the backbite, along with a peppery, cinnamonny finish, is a little strong and burns the tongue a little. I could drink this but do it slowly and not session; still, on a very cold day this warmed the spirit up.

This beer is a clear, amber-garnet brown. Topped by a half-inch, beige head that fades to a film leaving pin-prick spots of lace. Malty and spicy on the nose: ginger, honey, caramel and dark fruit.

Honey sweetness upfront, moving quickly into a very spicy center. Cinnamon, clove and ginger are very strong, and overpower everything else. There's a light bitterness in the finish. Full-bodied, highly carbonated.

The use of spices in this beer is really heavy handed. They're overpowering and too strong to be pleasant.

Appears a dark mahogany Christmas spiced ale to share with your friends during the winter months, this one also has some honey additions. Minimal khaki tan head forms even after a vigorous pour. Lacing left behind is fine and even, I can't really complain.

Aroma has more spices with some ginger accents with cinnamon and cardamom some sugar malt with minimal hop presence. I highly discourage leaving out hop components in craft beers the majority of your audience looks forward to hops even with a nice winter warmer. My local makes Snow Melt which is excellent, spiced with nice hops that follow.

Flavor however is too dominant with bark and cinnamon spice flavors, there's just not enough balance to create a happy camper. So heavy in spices and honey it becomes an unpleasant experience nearly burnt caramelized sugars represent the feeling the over comes me. Like real maple syrup soaked with alcohol and tree bark flavors.

Mouthfeel is cloying with spice and honey, I can't believe they didn't sample before bottling I loved every other Left Hand brew I've tried recently including Polestar Pilsner, Left Hand Ofest, and Warrior IPA. This one has an over carbonation that I can't get over, along with the over spiced character dominating this party.

Drinkability is pretty much shite I could never imagine finishing a bottle of this on my own and asking where's the next beer. If you're actually able to make it through a bottle you should earn a badge of courage not a shot at your next sample it's rough all the way through.

A-Pours a deep garnet brown with ruby highlights when held to the light. Moderate tan head that settles quickly with minimal lacing.

S-Sweet malts, cinnamon, nutmeg and perhaps some clove.

T-Nose carries through to the taste, and opens with a spiced sweet malty flavor with a nearly overwhelming sweet licorice overtone, and a hint of citrus and cherry (or is that honey?). Mid palate is balanced and it ends with a very mild hop finish and a bit of alcohol. Jim Koch calls Old Fezziwig the "Christmas Cookie of beers" BS, this is....reminds me a bit of Sly Fox Christmas. (But not quite as good)

M-Thick and chewy with medium carbonation. Very nice for the style.

D-I like this one very much, but I am partial to this style at this time of year. This is about as spiced as you can get without it getting to be a bit over the top, but it is done very well. I bomber is about all one can take of this at one sitting as it is a rather singular taste. Wish they offered it in a 12 oz.

Let this one warm a bit (but not alot, ie, it is a bit cloying at cellar temp) It is the one to go for if you are in the mood for sweetness and sugarplums, but stay away from it if you are not. I have many of these in the cellar, and it hits the spot if you are in the mood for sweetness....

Interestingly, the beer opens with an ester profile that dominates the stronger malt components. Rich apples and cherries open the nose with spicy ginger and nutmeg to follow. A malty molassas and toffee backbone round out the aromas and give the beer a pomising start.

The following appearance gives a standard ruby-crimson glow with great clarity, very good initial head retention that lasts the session.

Flavors begin with a burst of fruits and spices that the nose promises. These are soon overtaken by the malty, root beer, cola character that will set the tone for the beer. A rising burst of anise, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg eventually take on proportions of mixed drinks and take away from the true beer experience of it all. Other flavors of berries, white pepper, oranges, and pineapple also make their way into the flavor, but in sporatic and segregated roles. I would like to see what age does with these.

The textures fare much better than flavors. The initially sticky-sweet cola flavors actually lift off of the toung and does not leave the sugary film that I expected. Still, a touch of residual sweetness lingers along with all those spices. The bitterness from the spices is not evident and makes the drinkability better than expected. Ultimately a good drinking beer.

Tough to find a Winter Warmer that has this much flavor that drinks better. Though not perfect, it may be closer in a year or so.

Pours a heavy brown colored body, with a big tan head, that is diminishing. An aroma of cookies or milk chocolate? Some kind of spice like saffron or ginger or something. Some other sweet spices are present too, and some vanilla can be detected. Some dark malts. Spicy taste, that same sweet ginger or some kind of spice present, maybe nutmeg? Some roasted malts, coffee is present too. Hides the alcohol well, not hot or alcoholy tasting. Somewhat creamy mouthfeel. Slightly bitter aftertaste. Very nice beer, very reminiscent of Christmas/Winter.

Drank the hell out of this one last winter, but never got around to reviewing it. Now that my palate has matured (by small degrees), I'm going to give it another whirl, and see if it stands up to my initial impressions. A hard pour results in a 3+ finger thick and dark tan head. Color is a sort of burnt, dark-red. Retention is adequate, and when all settles down, a slim lacing is left above a thin covering of froth. Smells of sweet malts, spice, some very subtle notes of pumkin and maple syrup. Tastes malty and spicy up front, with a pretty good hit of alcohol and some bitterness at the end. Feels medium bodied, and the alcohol heat keeps it a sipper. Might not be quite all that from what I remember, but still a damn good, and slightly underrated winter warmer.

Pours a dark, nearly opaque, almost sable mahogany with a fine-bubbled, light tan head. Rich, malty aroma has an overtone of cloves and cinnamon and a hint of molasses. Flavor is malty and spicy, undertone of cloves and cinnamon, touch of sweetness and hint of licorice and cinnamon candy. Texture is very smooth, almost syrupy, and leaves a slightly sweet, slightly hoppy, cinnamony aftertaste.

Pours a decent 1/2 finger head with very thin lacing and a nice amber brown color that I can see through.

Big whiff of allspice, nutmeg, and sweet orange peel. I detect some crystal malts and a bit of chocolate malt undertones.

Taste is of some sweet crystal malts with some dark malt balance (but is not very much). I may have been wrong with the sweet orange peel reference, it tastes like bitter orange peel. Spices come out as well (nutmeg and cinnamon and allspice).

This beer needs a bit more body, the ABV isn't too over the top though. I want bigger specialty malts in this one. The spices are a little out of balance. Use more specialty malts and get ths one where it needs to be.

I just don't see a rhyme or reason for this one. No flavor really shines. It's not bad, but I know this isn't the best that left hand can do.

A: Pours a dark brown body with a small, white head with pretty good retention and nice lacing until the finish.

S: A slightly bittersweet, malty smell with some ginger notes.

T: A strong, ginger taste with a slightly, malty finish. You can feel the alcohol in the beer while you are drinking it, but you cannot taste it on your tongue, which allows the malts and spices to be the center of attention instead of the high ABV.

M: A medium bodied mouthfeel that was also pretty smooth and nice on the palette.

D: A pretty good winter warmer. The ginger is nice, but I felt that it might have been a bit much. Pretty good mouthfeel and taste combination that yielded a pretty good drinking beer overall.